Researchers have revealed that over 50 per cent of girls and more than a third of boys said they compared their bodies with those of people on TV, with a quarter of both the gender willing to undergo cosmetic surgery to recreate their looks.
Rosi Prescott, chief executive of Central YMCA, the charity which commissioned the survey, said: "Young people appear to be increasingly insecure about their appearance and body image. There is a growing trend to resort to quick fixes, which are damaging to health and often unfulfilling. It`s also interesting that what used to be seen as a problem affecting young girls has now spread to young men. The root cause of this problem is the pressure on young people to conform to an unattainable and unrealistic body image ideal."